Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 New Subdivision; Commission to Study the Legalization, Regulation, and Taxation of Marijuana. Amend RSA 318-B by inserting after section 42 the following new subdivision:

Commission to Study the Legalization, Regulation, and Taxation of Marijuana

318-B:43 Commission to Study the Legalization, Regulation, and Taxation of Marijuana Established.

I. There is established a commission to study the legalization, regulation, and taxation of marijuana. The members of the commission shall be as follows:

(a) Five members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.

(b) Two members of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate.

(c) The attorney general, or designee.

(d) The commissioner of the department of safety, or designee.

(e) The commissioner of the department of health and human services, or designee.

(f) The commissioner of the department of revenue administration, or designee.

(g) The commissioner of the department of agriculture, markets, and food, or designee.

(h) A representative of the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police, appointed by that organization.

(i) A representative of the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union, appointed by that organization.

(j) A representative of New Futures, appointed by that organization.

(k) A representative of the Marijuana Policy Project, appointed by that organization.

(l) A representative of the New Hampshire Bar Association, appointed by that organization.

(m) A representative of the New Hampshire Medical Society, appointed by that organization.

(n) A representative of the New Hampshire Farm Bureau Federation, appointed by that organization.

(o) Three representatives of the public, appointed by the governor.

II. Legislative members of the commission shall receive mileage at the legislative rate when attending to the duties of the commission.

III. The commission shall examine the possible impacts of changing state policy to treat marijuana in a manner similar to the way the state deals with alcohol and shall study the legalization, regulation, and taxation of marijuana including the specific issues related to growing, selling, taxing, limiting use, advertising, promoting, and otherwise regulating marijuana and marijuana-infused edible products. The committee shall also study the experiences of New Hampshire and other states regarding the use of marijuana for medical purposes and for recreational purposes. The commission shall also study the experiences of states that have or are in the process of legalizing and regulating the recreational use of marijuana by adults, with particular attention to be given to the ways the changes in marijuana laws in Maine and Massachusetts, as well as Canada, impact our state. The commission shall study any other issue that the commission deems relevant to its objective. The commission may solicit the advice or testimony of any organization or individual with information or expertise relevant to its study.

IV. The members of the commission shall elect a chairperson from among the members. The first meeting of the commission shall be called by the first-named house member. The first meeting of the commission shall be held within 45 days of the effective date of this section. Ten members of the commission shall constitute a quorum.

V. The commission shall report its findings and any recommendations for proposed legislation to the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, the house clerk, the senate clerk, the governor, and the state library on or before December 1, 2017.

2 Repeal. RSA 318-B:43, relative to a commission to study the legalization, regulation, and taxation of marijuana, is repealed.